Durban - The mother of a 14-year-old boy who was allegedly shot dead by a policeman in Inanda on Saturday afternoon wants answers about why her child was killed.
A trip to the local shops with two relatives to buy painkillers turned to tragedy when the boy, Siphokuhle Sikhakhane, 14, was allegedly shot and killed by police from the Inanda police station.
According to Siphokuhle’s mother, Bonakele Sikhakhane, her son was a bystander when a bullet, allegedly fired by a policeman, struck him in his cheek. He died instantly.
Police said the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) was investigating the incident.
They have defended their actions, with spokesman Colonel Jay Naicker saying that a mob had tried to attack the police.
He said the officers had been responding to a complaint “of people spinning tyres and drag racing” at the local taxi rank at 5pm.
This was confirmed by Sikhakhane.
“When they arrived at the scene a mob of approximately 200 consisting of drivers and spectators attacked police. It is alleged that shots were fired and a boy was shot in the cheek and died,” Naicker said.
A tearful Sikhakhane sat on a mattress covered in a white sheet in a dimly lit room on Sunday, recounting the moments before and after she found out that her son had been shot.
Siphokuhle went to the shops at about 3pm. He was dead at 3.30pm.
On their way back home, the boys had decided to join a crowd watching a group of drag racers “spinning cars and burning tyres”.
The scene was about 50m from the Inanda police station.
Bonakele recounted what she was told by the two relatives: “They stopped and joined the crowd. While standing – watching – three policemen arrived and two started waving people back. The third one had a gun. He just fired shots.”
It was unclear how many shots were fired, but Siphokuhle was struck by a bullet in his cheek and died.
The family said the police allegedly left the scene.
“The two boys came here (home) running and in a hysterical state. They told us he (Siphokuhle) had been shot,” recalled the mother.
Shocked by the news, family members ran to the scene – about a kilometre away – where they found the boy’s body covered in foil.
“There was no policeman when we got there, just the body covered in foil and an ambulance,” he said. “We had no idea what to do.”
Distraught and desperate for answers, after about 40 minutes Sikhakhane and a neighbour went to the police station, where they said they were made to wait before being attended to.
The family members said that instead of being assisted, they were frustrated by an “arrogant” policeman who “refused” to assist them and they were subsequently chased away.
Police finally arrived at the scene of the shooting two hours later, but still “no answers or explanation” were offered or given to the family.
Naicker said members of the public order police were called into the area after the situation spiralled out of control and had got “very tense” on Saturday evening.
He said the Ipid officers were called to the scene and were investigating the incident.
Ipid spokesman Moses Dlamini said he was unaware of the specific incident, but said the directorate would investigate if a policeman was involved.
The Mercury